


It's Elemental

by wallstracktwo



Series: Tea and Cake [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Miscommunication, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 04:18:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19822384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wallstracktwo/pseuds/wallstracktwo
Summary: He smiled at Harry - that smile that lit up his face, that smile that lit up Harry’s heart.Harry nodded, wiping the tears away from his eyes and cheeks. “Promise you’re not mad?”“Oh baby, I promise I’m not mad. Besides you brought me my favorite soup, so how could I possibly be mad?” He kissed the tip of Harry’s nose, “I promise,” he whispered before kissing the edge of Harry’s mouth.Harry wanted to say it, fuck he really wanted to say it. Why couldn’t he just tell Louis that he loved him? Louis deserved to be told he was loved all the time, constantly, every minute of every day. He should be made to feel loved and Harry wanted to be the one to do it.OR - a miscommunication leads to feelings being shared.





	It's Elemental

**Author's Note:**

> I had a really difficult week health-wise and this prompt didn't help any. Until I asked a friend "what's the first thing you think of when I say 'tin'?" And so this fic was born.
> 
> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge for the prompt "tin". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/tin_tin), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge (including years 1 and 2), [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works). You can also find the masterpost for this year’s challenge [here](https://wordplayfics.tumblr.com/post/185709101043/wordplay-2019-every-week-for-five-weeks-a-prompt).
> 
> I own nothing except the words (and mistakes) written below.
> 
> Please do not repost this anywhere. I am not allowing for any reposts or translations. Thank you for understanding.
> 
> Without further ado...
> 
> Enjoy!

“Lou? Louis? You there? Baby, you’re breaking up? Louis? Oh wait, right there.”

Harry switched the phone from his right ear to his left, grabbing a pen to quickly jot down the last minute things he needed to pick up for their camping trip.

“Beer, got it. Burgers, yup. Tea, of course. No, not the shitty kind. You’re breaking up again...wait, stay there, don’t move. I can hear you perfectly. Ok, what else?”

Louis was stuck at work for another hour or so, meaning it was up to Harry to get the car all packed and meet Louis up at the campsite.

He had never been solely responsible for their belongings before, but ever since Louis had been asked to teach a second class at the university this semester he had longer hours and Harry was given the job that Louis usually did - making sure they had everything for weekend getaways.

At first it had bothered Harry, he loved their evenings together - making dinner and then catching up with each other before making their way to the living room so Louis could catch up on grading papers or Harry could finish writing his latest article for  _ The Washington Post. _

But Harry never realized how much he was taking Louis for granted and once he began working the longer hours, it hit Harry how much he loved Louis. And loving Louis meant loving what Louis loved and second (behind Harry) was teaching.

So as much as Harry missed Louis those three nights a week, it had been good for them and their relationship continued to flourish and grow.

Which had led Harry to planning a camping trip over spring break. Louis had a week off and Harry thought it would be the perfect time for a little weekend getaway to the mountains to see nature and spend some uninterrupted quality time together.

“Wait, what? Did you say _ tin _ ? Tin  _ what _ ? Lou? Louis? Aww fuck.” He pressed ‘end’ and placed the phone on the counter. “Tin? What the fuck?”

This isn’t the first time that Louis’ end of the conversation had abruptly dropped. For some reason if he moved around too much in his office his reception crapped out.

The last time it had done it, they had been in the middle of an argument over the color of their front hallway.

Louis had wanted to paint it a nice, neutral color like beige or tan while Harry had wanted to paint it a happier, cheerier color like yellow or orange. Right in the middle of their disagreement Louis’ phone cut them off and by the time he had gotten around to calling Harry back it had straight to Harry’s voicemail. When Louis got home from work that night Harry had bought a gallon of pale yellow paint and had put all of his frustration to good use - he had painted half of the hallway.

To say Louis was pissed was an understatement, but after having a shower and a glass of wine he had calmed down considerably and had agreed to let Harry finished painting the hall the color that he wanted. And if the night ended with Harry giving Louis a blowjob? Well, that was just a bonus.

But there was another reason why this camping trip was so important - Harry was finally going to tell Louis that he loved him.

Sure Louis knew, he had to know. Ever since their first meeting in that cramped kitchen when both of their potential one-night stands had passed out, leaving Louis and Harry to bond over shitty tea and zebra cakes, Harry just  _ knew _ that Louis was the one.

They were inseparable after that, spending the majority of their free time together. And sure to most people moving in after four months might have seemed rushed, but to Harry and Louis it had simply felt  _ right _ .

Louis had been the first to say ‘I love you’ and he had said it so matter-of-factly, so sure, so unwavering. It had been after a long day of moving and unpacking and they were both getting short with each other, their tempers thin and their patience almost non-existent.

Harry had made a comment wondering if Louis was sure he really wanted to be living with him and Louis stopped what he was doing, walked over to Harry and took his hands. He said, “I’ve never been more sure of anything before in my life, well other than my love for you.”

It had taken Harry by surprise to say the least, but he could see the love in Louis’ eyes and that had made his heart swell. And so they christened their bedroom and bathroom that night, Louis whispering ‘I love you’ to Harry in the darkness.

Harry had so desperately wanted to say it back. There had been plenty of opportunities for him to tell Louis exactly how he felt - when Louis took care of him as he battled the flu, when Louis had gotten his promotion, when he and Louis had gone to the store to buy a copy of Harry’s debut article in  _ The Washington Post _ and Louis had bragged to everyone in the supermarket about how his boyfriend was brilliant and talented and gushed about him for twenty minutes in the checkout line.

But something always held Harry back from declaring his love for Louis - he simply couldn’t explain  _ what _ that something was.

Maybe he had been scared or maybe he wanted to say it all on his own and not as a response to Louis. Whatever the reason, it was no longer there and Harry was confident, he was excited and he was absolutely ready to tell Louis exactly how he felt.

So everything had to be perfect this weekend and if Louis wanted tin cans - for whatever reason, well then that’s exactly what he was going to get.

Harry walked over to the cabinet, opening it and staring. There were cans of tuna fish, soup and tomato sauce. What the fuck could Louis possibly want?

Harry shrugged and picked out four cans of Louis’ favorite soup, packing them along with a can opener in the bag that contained their food for the next couple of days.

He carried the bag out to the car, making one final trip through the house to make sure everything was unplugged and shut off. He grabbed the list off of the counter and headed to the grocery store to pick up ice and the perishables Louis had requested.

Two hours later Harry arrived at the camping site and saw Louis waiting for him next to his car. A smile crept across his face. Louis was such a sexy, attractive, kind man and the fact that he was all Harry’s sent the butterflies in his stomach flutter.

After greeting Louis with a kiss they began unloading the car.

“Harry? Umm...baby, where’s the tent?” Louis asked while trying to keep his voice even.

“The what?”

“Tent. Baby. Where’s the tent?”

Harry looked around at all of their belongings on the ground, then back to the car, then finally to Louis. “I...I forgot it. I forgot the tent.”

Louis took a deep breath, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. “How could you have forgotten it? I even called you to remind you.”

Clarification came over Harry’s face, his eyes widening, his mouth opening and then all of a sudden he burst into tears and began mumbling and rambling. “Oh my god! I thought that you said tin and so I grabbed cans of soup and the opener and completely forgot the tent” his breathing increased rapidly, “and now I’ve ruined our weekend and I just wanted everything to be special and perfect and I really tried and -”

Louis placed his hands on Harry’s hip, “hey. Hey, look at me.”

Harry slowly looked to Louis, their eyes locking, Harry’s breathing and crying steadying.

“It is ok.” Louis began, “I’m not mad, you didn’t ruin anything, we’ll make it work.”

All Harry could do was nod. How was Louis so perfect and how was Harry such an idiot? There was no way someone like Louis was going to stay with someone like Harry.

He felt Louis squeeze his hips, his fingers gently reassuring him along with his words. “You’re not an idiot and I am far from perfect. And I'm always going to stay with you because I love you and you make me so happy."

And oh - he had said all that outloud hadn’t he?

“I love you,” Louis continued, “and that means during the good times and the not so good times. It means during the fun times and the not so fun times. I love you and one forgotten tent isn’t going to change that anytime soon. We’ll put the back seat down and sleep in the car and tomorrow I’ll head into town and pick us up a tent, ok?” 

He smiled at Harry - that smile that lit up his face, that smile that lit up Harry’s heart.

Harry nodded, wiping the tears away from his eyes and cheeks. “Promise you’re not mad?”

“Oh baby, I promise I’m not mad. Besides you brought me my favorite soup, so how could I possibly be mad?” He kissed the tip of Harry’s nose, “I promise,” he whispered before kissing the edge of Harry’s mouth.

Harry wanted to say it, fuck he really wanted to say it. Why couldn’t he just tell Louis that he loved him? Louis deserved to be told he was loved all the time, constantly, every minute of every day. He should be made to feel loved and Harry wanted to be the one to do it.

“C’mon, let’s eat something.”

Louis let go of Harry and he immediately missed the contact, the touch, the warmth. He reached out and grabbed a hold of Louis’ hand, pulling him back.

Louis’ brows furrowed, confusion written all over his face.

“I...I just wanted to say…” Harry took a long, deep breath, “I just wanted to say...thank you. For being so wonderful.”

Louis’ face softened immediately, “baby you don’t need to thank me. I already told you.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against Harry’s, “I love you.” He could feel Louis smile against his mouth. “I love you and nothing is gonna change that.”

Louis kissed him one last time before walking away and rummaging through the bags for the burgers and rolls.

They worked in silence, Louis cooking the food and Harry getting the sides and drinks ready for them.

They ate sitting on opposite sides of the picnic table and then after cleaning up, Louis suggested they take a walk along the lighted path that looped around the nearby lake.

Since it was spring, the days were getting longer, the sun was setting later and so when they set off on their walk, the sun was dipping down behind the trees, painting the sky in pinks, oranges and purples. Louis intertwined their fingers as they made their way onto the path.

They had only walked a few minutes, but Louis was dominating the conversation. Harry’s sister’s birthday was approaching and Louis was asking Harry’s opinion about whether he should buy her a gift by himself or if they should buy her a gift together. He then suggested they stop by the small French bakery to pick out some macaroons for her.

Louis was thinking about Harry’s sister and birthday presents and macaroons and it was all too much.  _ This _ was all too much.

“Stop! Louis, just...stop.” Harry yanked his hand away and halted, “I can’t do this.”

Shock, confusion and fear came over Louis’ face, “do what?” He asked so softly that Harry’s heart physically hurt.

“Can I...can you just listen? I have to…” he paused, gathering up everything that had been bubbling over the past few months, “Just listen, ok?”

Louis nodded, “of course baby, always.”

Harry took Louis’ hands into his, “do you remember the night that we met? What I said? About us? About you being everything I’ve ever wanted?”

Louis nodded, but didn't say anything, silence falling upon them. The world seemed to stop, knowing that what Harry had to say next was important and life changing.

“I meant it then and I mean it now and I’ll mean it fifty years from now. You are by far the most amazing, mesmerizing, wonderful, kind, compassionate, talented person I have ever met and the fact that you’re mine...it overwhelms me sometimes. And the fact that you love me, the idiot who thought you said tin instead of tent? You didn’t get mad, you didn’t yell, you didn’t make me feel stupid, you just fixed it. You always just fix it - with your words, your actions and...you genuinely love me - for me. All of my imperfections, all of my quirks and it just...it’s overwhelming, it defies reasoning, but I am so grateful that you do.”

He paused, bringing his hands up to Louis’ face, wiping the tears away from his cheeks. “I am so grateful for you, for your love and I have been such an idiot for so long, for not telling you exactly how I feel.” He took a deep breath, “but I’m tired of not telling you, I’m tired of you not being told because you deserve to be told. I’m not sure why I’ve been holding back but…” He felt his eyes welling up with tears, if he blinked they were sure to fall.

He cupped Louis’ face, “I love you. God I love you so much, I love you with everything that I have. And I am going to tell and show you every single day because you deserve it. So, so much.”

Harry brought his lips down to Louis’ and tasted the salt from his tears. “I love you.”

Louis deepened their kiss for a brief moment before pulling back, “say it again.”

They opened their eyes and Harry smiled, “I love you.”

“Again.”

Harry couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, “I’ve created a monster haven’t I?” He began peppering Louis’ face in kisses, whispering “I love you” after each one.

An hour later they were sitting around the small campfire, Louis sitting in between Harry’s legs. Harry’s arms were wrapped around Louis, his lips kissing the shell of Louis’ right ear.

All of a sudden Louis burst out laughing, “you really thought I said tin instead of tent? Why would I ask for tin? That doesn’t even make any sense.”

Harry gave Louis’ ear a tiny bite, “I blame it all on that stupid office of yours, it messes with the phone reception constantly. You should ask for a new office, one you don’t have to share. Maybe a bigger corner office with lots of windows and better reception. An office we could christen every inch of.

Louis leaned his head further to the left, giving Harry better access to his neck. “You deserve it Lou, you deserve the world and I want to give it to you. Always. I love you and I am going to love you forever.”

“Well that’s good because I am going to love you forever.” Harry smiled into Louis’ neck and gave him a small kiss. 

So what if they didn’t have a tent, so what if they had an overabundance of tin cans, so what if they had to sleep cramped in the back of Louis’ SUV - he loved Louis and Louis loved him and that’s all that mattered.


End file.
